Sleepless in Storybrooke
by Scribbles-by-Kate
Summary: Driving to her father's for Christmas, Belle tunes into a radio call in show where a boy wants to help his father find love. The father is persuaded to talk and ends up speaking eloquently about love, leaving Belle fascinated. Based on the film Sleepless in Seattle. Non-magic AU. RumBelle, with hints of Snowing and Swanfire/Thief.
1. Chapter one

Hello and welcome to my first foray into fan fiction. This is based on the Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan film Sleepless in Seattle, with Rumple and Belle replacing Sam and Annie/Hanks and Ryan. This is a modern-day setting with no magic and no curse, so that obviously makes it AU. I've used elements of the film and Once and tried to make it all fit with Rumple and Belle's characters.

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time: it belongs to Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, and ABC and Disney; nor do I own Sleepless in Seattle, which is the property of Columbia TriStar. No money is being made from this story: it is purely for fun.

And onto the story - hope you enjoy :)

**Sleepless in Storybrooke**

_Chapter one_

'Have a good holiday, Ruby: I'll see you on the twenty-seventh.' Belle hugged her friend just before she set off for her father's for Christmas.

'Merry Christmas, sweetie,' Ruby murmured, hugging her tight.

'Merry Christmas,' Belle returned, smiling brightly as they separated.

'I hope your dad doesn't mention Greg this time.'

Belle's smile faltered. 'Me too.'

Ruby grinned. 'Just tell him you met some big shot doctor or lawyer or something: that'll make him happy.'

Belle laughed. 'I love you, Ruby.'

'Love you too, Belle: drive safe.'

The friends parted and Belle began the four-hour drive to New York.

As she settled into the drive, she thought again about what her friend had said. Greg Gaston had been her boyfriend for less than a year. She'd broken up with him because although he'd seemed sweet at first, she soon found out that he was insensitive, an idiot, boring, and full of himself. She also wasn't at all attracted to him, though he was handsome in the conventional sense: tall, chiselled features, and broad-shouldered. He was many women's ideal man, but not hers. She couldn't talk to him about anything she was interested in, and that was a complete deal breaker for her.

Her dad had liked him: probably because Greg was always on his best behaviour around him, and he thought Belle should try again with Greg. She knew he just wanted to be sure she was taken care of: he was old fashioned like that, and she would like to be with someone for herself too, but not Greg. She hoped the subject wouldn't cause tension between them on this visit: it had happened before.

She turned on the radio to distract her and instead of the cheery Christmas music she expected, she heard a boy's voice.

'Bailey, but you can call me Bae.'

'Bae: alright. You sound a little younger than our usual callers, Bae: mind if I ask how old you are?'

'I'm thirteen.'

'Ok, so what's your wish this Christmas Eve, Bae?'

Belle recognised the man's voice: it belonged to a psychologist and radio host, Dr Archie Hopper. She'd obviously tuned in to his weekly show Conscience Call, where he tried to help people with their problems. She didn't listen to him often herself, but Ruby liked the show and Belle had found that he was a good listener and gave good, practical advice. Obviously, this being Christmas Eve, he'd shifted focus a bit to wishes instead of problems and she wondered what this boy, Bae, would wish for.

'It's not for me, really,' the boy said: 'it's for my father. I wish he could find someone to make him happy.'

'Aw,' Belle said aloud.

'He doesn't have anyone in his life now?' Hopper asked.

'No, he just works and takes care of me.'

'May I ask about your mother, Bae?'

'She left us,' the boy said, and, from his tone, it was easy to tell it was a sore subject. 'I was six,' he added: 'we haven't seen her since.'

'I see,' Hopper replied, his voice soothing. 'You must love your father very much.'

'Yeah,' Bae replied, shyly, but with a conviction that made Belle smile. 'I just want him to find someone to make him happy, so that he doesn't have to be lonely, and…'

'And?' Hopper prompted.

'And…maybe…so he wouldn't work so much.'

'I see.'

'I know he does it for me, but I kinda think he also does it not to feel so lonely.'

'You know, Bae, I think you're a very smart young man. Have you said any of this to your father?'

'No.'

'Ok, so where is your dad now? Is he there?'

'Yeah, he's working.'

Belle shook her head sadly. _Working on Christmas Eve: poor kid: poor man_.

'Alright, well, why don't you let me talk to him?' Hopper suggested.

'I'm not sure he'd like that,' Belle said, knowing she wouldn't take kindly to being thrust into a live broadcast, especially to talk about such a personal subject.

'No way: he'll kill me!' Bae protested.

'Bae, I think it would be good for you both,' Hopper said. 'Once he knows how you feel, he'll understand.'

'Well…alright, but if he yells at me, it's your fault.'

Hopper laughed softly. 'I understand.'

There was silence for a moment and then Bae spoke again. 'Papa, there's a phone call for you.'

They all waited and then it became apparent that Bae's father had picked up. A deep Scottish brogue called an uncertain hello.

'His name's Tristan,' Bae supplied.

'Tristan?'

'Yes?' the Scot returned.

'My name is Dr Archie Hopper. I'm the host of Conscience Call on Radio FTL in Boston. Your son Bailey called my show: he's very concerned that you're unhappy.'

'I'm sorry, what is this?' Tristan asked, confused. _A radio station?_

'I understand that this must be a little overwhelming for you, Tristan, but your son called my show because he's concerned about you. We both just want to help.'

'You called a radio station?' Belle guessed this was addressed to Bae.

'Please, Papa, just talk to him: he's a doctor.'

Tristan looked at his son, who was still standing in the doorway clutching the phone from the hall. No matter the circumstances, he just couldn't be angry with his boy.

'You couldn't have talked to me without all this, I suppose?'

'I'm sorry, Papa.'

'I suspect that Bae didn't know how to talk to you about his concerns,' Hopper interjected: 'why don't the three of us try to work it out together?'

Tristan looked at his son, who looked nervous about being scolded and his heart softened further. He didn't answer for a long moment, though, and Hopper prompted him again.

'Tristan, it's his Christmas wish,' he said quietly.

Tristan sighed. 'Come in here, Bae, I'm not going through this alone.'

'Thank you, Tristan,' Hopper said. 'Now, Bae, why don't you try to tell your father about your wish?'

'My wish is for you to meet someone, so you can be happy,' Bae said, 'and so you won't be lonely any more, and so maybe you won't work so much.'

There was a long silence and Belle held her breath, trying to imagine how the man must be feeling hearing that coming from his son. It was so clear to her from those words how much that boy loved his father. He was doing a wonderful job of raising him alone from what she'd heard so far.

'Ah, Bae,' Tristan said, voice wavering: 'you know I work to provide for you.'

'I have everything that I could ever need right now,' Bae returned, 'except that I don't have you around as much as I'd like and except that I know you're lonely.'

'Bae, I…' But Tristan didn't know how to finish that sentence.

'Tristan, may I ask you, have you been in a relationship since your marriage ended?'

Tristan sighed and Belle thought she understood the feeling. 'There was a brief…relationship about six months afterwards,' he said, not really sure that what he'd had with Cora really counted as a relationship. 'It didn't last long and there hasn't been anyone since.'

'And why do you think that is?' Hopper asked.

'It's easier not to get hurt if you don't put your heart out there.'

'You have a point,' Hopper conceded, 'but do you think perhaps that has other consequences?'

'Nothing I can't live with,' Tristan returned.

'Alright, well, answer me this, then: are you sleeping at night?'

'He hardly sleeps at all,' Bae supplied.

'How do you know that?' his father asked.

'I live here, Papa.'

Belle smiled at their interaction, but she was also sad for the man who was afraid to risk his heart but couldn't sleep at night for the loneliness: it was no way to live.

'Tell me, Tristan, do you think you might ever be open to taking a chance on love?'

'To tell you the truth, Dr Hopper, I'm not sure that's in my future.'

'Why do you say that?'

'I'm a difficult man to love.'

Belle gasped. The admission had come so easily, but why would anyone believe such a thing about himself?

'What makes you say that?' Hopper asked.

'Perhaps you should ask my ex-wife,' Tristan said drily.

'I'm asking you,' Hopper pressed: 'why do you think you're difficult to love?'

'I can be moody, sarcastic, pigheaded, I probably work more than would be healthy for a relationship to work. I…' but he paused, not wanting to mention his leg, and Hopper moved on, thankfully.

'You said you work to provide for your son, but is there another reason?'

'Perhaps it helps me forget,' Tristan said quietly.

Belle felt tears trickling down her cheeks at the sadness in his voice.

'Your wife leaving must have hurt you very much,' Hopper said, sounding moved.

'Actually, it wasn't unexpected,' Tristan said, resigned: 'she wasn't happy and she found someone else. Like I said, I'm a difficult man to love: perhaps that also means it's difficult for me to love.'

'Your honesty is very refreshing, Tristan,' Hopper said, 'and if you don't mind, I'd like to go into what you've said in a little more detail: would that be alright?'

'Aye, I suppose it can't hurt.'

'Good, well, folks, stay tuned for more after these messages.'

Belle took that opportunity to stop and grab a cup of tea and a snack for the road. When she turned the radio back on, Hopper was talking again.

'You said it's difficult for you to love, Tristan, but it's very clear to me that you love your son.'

'A parent's love for their child comes by nature, though, doesn't it?'

'Does it?' Hopper asked, clearly sceptical: so was Belle.

'No,' Bae said quietly.

'Why do you say that, Bae?' Hopper asked.

'My mother: if she really loved me, she wouldn't have left me, would she?'

'Ah, Bae, that was my fault, not yours,' Tristan said.

'Actually, I think it was hers,' Belle said, annoyed. 'What kind of parent leaves their child without a second thought? Leaving the marriage doesn't have to mean leaving your child!'

Hopper was talking again as Belle finished her rant.

'…love for your son proves you have a great capacity to love.'

'Well…'

'And it takes two to make a marriage fail. I don't like to use the words fault or blame, but let's say that you both wanted different things that you couldn't achieve together.'

Belle was nodding, but Tristan was silent, thinking.

'Tristan, are you still there?' Hopper asked quietly.

'Yeah, yeah, I'm here.'

'Can you tell me what you're thinking?'

'I'm thinking that the reason we grew apart was probably because we didn't really love each other to start with, not the way a couple in love really should.'

'And how's that?'

'I think it's probably different for everyone.'

'Well, how is it for you?'

Tristan sighed: how on earth did he end up baring his soul on live radio?

'I suppose love for me is knowing everything about each other, especially the bad things, and accepting it. It's seeing into someone's heart and soul, seeing past all the walls they put up to the real person underneath. Love is…'

'A mystery to be uncovered,' Belle whispered, and suddenly realised that Tristan had said exactly the same thing. She caught her breath in surprise: this stranger felt the same way about love as she did! How many times in life did that happen? She was willing to bet not many.

Love for her was just that: a mystery, a puzzle to solve, to get to the truth about someone. The real test of love was knowing everything and still loving: if you could do that, you were as close to true love as you were ever going to get.

'For someone who doesn't believe he can be loved, you speak very eloquently about the subject, if you don't mind me saying,' Hopper observed.

'Well, just because I've never experienced that kind of love myself doesn't mean I can't recognise it when I see it.' He knew well enough the kind of love David and Mary Margaret had: the once in a lifetime kind of love that not everyone was lucky enough to feel. Unfortunately for him, Tristan didn't think he would ever be one of the lucky ones.

'Tristan, can I give you some advice?' Dr Hopper asked.

'By all means, Dr Hopper.' It couldn't hurt, after all.

'Don't give up on the idea of finding a love like that. You're far more likely to find that special kind of love if you know it exists. Perhaps you just need to trust your heart.'

'I'll…keep that in mind: thank you. Merry Christmas, Dr Hopper.'

'And Merry Christmas to you, Sleepless in Storybrooke: I hope you'll call us again and let us know how you're doing.'

Feeling strangely more liberated, at peace, and lighter than he had in a long time – perhaps because he'd finally spoken the truth as it was for him – Tristan smiled. 'You can count on it,' he promised. Then the producer was thanking him and he had hung the phone up.

He sent Bae to bed before putting his work away and going off to bed to try to get some sleep himself. All the while, a young woman was driving to see her father for Christmas, wondering about the mysterious stranger who spoke so eloquently about love and sounded as though he knew her very soul.

**To be continued**

Well, there you have it: chapter one. I hope you enjoyed it.

Regarding Rumple/Gold's first name: Obviously the writers haven't given him a first name or haven't yet told us what it is, so we fan fiction writers have to make one up. I've read stories where Gold's first name is Nick, presumably after Robert's Stargate character, Robert/Bobby after the wonderful Mr Carlyle himself, or Rumford, as a variation on Rumplestiltskin, but I chose Tristan because I like the name, I think it suits the character, and because it sounds suitably Gallic.

Anyway, comments/observations are very welcome. Chapter two will be uploaded on Sunday.

Thanks for reading :)

Kate


	2. Chapter two

Hello again and welcome to chapter two of Sleepless in Storybrooke. Thank you so much for reading and to those of you who took the time to leave a comment: it's very much appreciated.

Just to let you know, these 0 mark a change of scene/viewpoint.

Again, I don't own anything and I'm not making any money from this: it's purely for my own amusement, and hopefully yours :)

And now on to the chapter. Comments/observations welcome :)

**Sleepless in Storybrooke**

_Chapter two_

'Are you ok?' Ruby asked as she wiped down the counter where Belle was sitting staring into space. She'd been quiet since she got back from her dad's the day before and Ruby was worried.

Belle looked up at Ruby and opened her mouth to speak, but Ruby held up her hand.

'If you say you're fine one more time, I'm cutting you off,' she threatened, motioning to Belle's iced tea, which she loved and usually drank multiple glasses of.

'I'm sorry, Ruby, I'm just a little distracted.'

'Your dad didn't bug you about Greg, did he?'

Belle shook her head. 'No, he didn't even mention him. I was just thinking about something that happened before I got to Dad's: on the drive down.' But she didn't say any more and Ruby was curious.

'So, what _did_ happen?'

'It's silly,' Belle said, shaking her head again.

'If it's got you distracted, it's not silly,' Ruby said seriously.

Belle smiled a little, grateful for her friend's understanding. 'You didn't happen to hear that show Conscience Call on Christmas Eve, did you?'

Ruby shook her head. 'I went out with Peter right after you left: why?'

'It's just: there was a man on talking about love. It…' she trailed off, not knowing how to explain her feelings. 'Forget it: I told you it was silly.'

Ruby grabbed her friend's hand. 'My shift's over in ten minutes: we'll go grab some snacks on the way home and when we get there you can tell me everything.'

Belle smiled. This was why she loved Ruby: she was so understanding and she didn't make judgements.

0

'I just felt like I knew him, like I understood him,' Belle said, having explained about the man on the radio and what he'd said about love. 'Am I crazy?' she asked.

Ruby looked thoughtful. 'If you were anyone else, I'd say yes, but, no, no, you're not crazy, Belle.' She smiled.

'Really?'

'Really. Maybe you should write to this guy.'

'What? I don't even know his full name or his address.'

'So you write care of Hopper's show.'

'Sleepless in Storybrooke care of Dr Archie Hopper?'

'Mhm, and then Hopper'll forward it on.' Somehow, Ruby knew this was something Belle needed to do, and she wasn't letting it go: her friend deserved to be happy, and, she didn't know how she knew, but she knew this was Belle's path to happiness.

Belle thought for a moment. 'But what would I even write?'

'Write what you felt when you heard him talk about love.'

Belle stared at her friend. 'You really think I should do this, don't you?'

'Sure I do. Look, Belle, I know this isn't normally how men and women meet, but from the way you just talked about this guy, it sounds like you've gotta see where your feelings take you. What is it you always say about bravery?'

'Do the brave thing and bravery will follow,' Belle recited, remembering her mother's advice from so long ago.

'Yeah, so follow your own advice. It can't hurt to try, can it?'

Belle smiled. No: no, it couldn't hurt to try.

0

About a week later, Tristan Gold arrived home to a ton of letters and his son grinning like a loon.

'What's all this?' he asked, eyeing the piles of letters.

'They're all for you, Papa,' Bae said excitedly.

Tristan picked one of the letters up. 'Sleepless in Storybrooke care of Dr Archie Hopper? You gave them our address?'

'They called and asked for it,' Bae explained.

'Of course,' Tristan said, rolling his eyes.

'Can I help you open them?' Bae asked, dying to dive in.

'I don't think that's such a good idea, Bae.'

'Why not?'

'Because there could be anything in these letters: there are a lot of strange people out there, son.'

'But you might find one you really like,' Bae protested, 'and then you could meet in person and fall in love and–'

'Bae, that's not how you fall in love with someone,' his father interjected.

'How then?' Bae demanded.

'I don't know, you…you see someone and if you like them, you ask them out and get to know them.'

'You can get to know someone from a letter,' Bae insisted, not letting it go.

'Bae, I'm not gonna spend my time poring through hundreds of letters: I've got much more important things to do,' Tristan said impatiently.

Bae glared mutinously at his father. 'Fine,' he snapped, turning and running up the stairs to his room, slamming the door when he got there.

Tristan called after his son, but in the end figured it was best to let him cool down. He sighed and glared at the piles of letters he had absolutely no intention of reading.

0

'So, what's up with Bae?' David asked, as he handed Tristan a glass of Scotch the following evening. The Golds were having dinner with David and Mary Margaret Nolan and their daughter Emma, and Bae had been sullen all evening. He was now in the den watching television with Emma.

David and Mary Margaret were Tristan's oldest friends: they'd seen him through a lot, and he knew he could trust them.

He sighed. 'It's a long story.'

'So, start at the beginning,' Mary Margaret ordered, smiling, only wanting to help.

So he did, and told them everything.

'Bae called a radio station?' David asked, smiling.

'Never mind about that!' his wife hissed, staring at Tristan: 'you really said all that about love?'

He looked a little sheepish. 'I'm afraid I did, yeah.'

Mary Margaret looked tearful. 'Tristan, do you have any idea how beautiful that is?'

'Here we go,' David said, amused at his wife's expression. Mary Margaret always got very emotional on the subject of love.

Mary Margaret elbowed him in the side. 'Be quiet, David,' she commanded. 'Did it never occur to you that those letters might be people connecting with and responding to what you said?' she asked Tristan. 'You should at least look at them: you never know what you might find.'

The letters were still piled on and around the coffee table in the living room. When he and Bae got home, he asked his son to follow him. Bae obeyed mutely, trailing behind his father into the living room. Tristan picked up a packet of letters and tossed them towards his boy.

'Let's see what these are all about then,' he said.

Bae's eyes lit up and he grinned at his father.

0

'You were right, Papa, some of these are a little weird,' Bae admitted, making a face at the letter he was reading.

'Aye, but some of them aren't that bad,' his father conceded.

'Did you find any you liked?' Bae asked hopefully.

'I'm still not convinced a letter is the best way to meet someone, son,' Tristan said.

Bae nodded a little sadly, but maybe he could still convince him.

'It's time for bed, son,' Tristan said: 'school tomorrow.'

'Can I take some of the letters up with me?'

Tristan was a little bemused at his son's interest, but he agreed, watching as Bae gathered up a pile of unopened letters.

He spotted one on the floor by his foot and picked it up.

'Hey, here's one for the two of us,' he said, handing it to Bae.

'Sleepless and Son,' Bae read: 'cool! Night, Papa.'

'Good night, son.'

0

Bae had opened all but one of the letters and, so far, none had interested him. There was still the one that was addressed to both of them, though, so he opened that one and began to read.

_Dear Sleepless and Son,_

_I've never written a letter like this in my life… but isn't that what people always say about writing letters to strangers? Sorry, let me start again. My name is Belle French and I'm originally from Australia, now living in Boston. I love books: I'm a librarian, so it kind of comes with the territory._

_My friend Ruby convinced me to write to you. I kind of have this philosophy: do the brave thing and bravery will follow, so I'm doing the brave thing in hopes that bravery will follow. Sorry, I'm rambling._

_Anyway, the real reason I'm writing is because I wanted to tell you that I felt the love between you, and that it made me smile. I also wanted to tell you, Tristan, that it felt like you were reading my thoughts when you talked about love. I've always thought that way about love: that it's a mystery to be uncovered. I've never heard anyone use those exact words before and it felt like…I don't know exactly how to describe it. Is it too weird if I say fate or magic?_

_I'll be in New York on Valentine's Day. I've been there before, but never seen the view from the top of the Empire State Building. I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you'd like to, we could meet there. I know it's an odd suggestion and it sounds crazy, but I can't help feeling that I know you somehow, both of you._

_Well, I'll say goodbye and hope to see you in New York on Valentine's Day. If not, then good luck to you, Sleepless and Son: I hope you find happiness._

_Yours, very sincerely_

_Belle_

Bae smiled at the letter. This was it, the one he'd been waiting for. Now all he had to do was convince his father to take a trip to New York so they could meet Belle.

0

'Papa, read this,' Bae called, going into his father's room next morning.

'Bae, can we do this later? I'm running late.'

'It's the letter that was for the two of us,' Bae said, not paying attention to his father's harried demeanour. 'Her name's Belle French: she's Australian.'

'Australian? They get Radio FTL in Australia?'

'Well, she lives in Boston,' Bae clarified. 'She wants to meet us, Papa.'

Tristan sighed. 'Bae…'

'In New York, at the top of the Empire State Building, on Valentine's Day: I think we should go.'

Tristan looked at his son. 'I don't think so, son.'

'Why not?'

'Because she could be anyone.'

'She's a librarian,' Bae said. 'She likes books, like you.'

Tristan sighed again. 'Bae, I don't have time for this right now: I really am running late. I'll talk to you tonight, alright? Now, get going: Mary Margaret will be here in a few minutes to take you to school. Don't make her and Emma late.' With that, he grabbed his briefcase and left, not noticing the bereft look on his son's face.

0

'Hello, Tristan.'

He stopped walking and turned around slowly. _As if this day wasn't crazy enough_, he thought, staring at the woman. 'Well, if it isn't Cora Mills.'

The poised and perfectly polished woman approached him, smiling with too-red lips in a way that couldn't be called warm. 'How long's it been, Tristan: five years?'

'Closer to six,' he told her, 'so what brings you here, Cora?'

'I wanted to see you,' she said softly, looking into his eyes: 'hoped we could catch up. Let me buy you lunch?'

'What do you want?' he asked suspiciously.

She raised a hand and placed it on his chest. He wanted to move away, but he'd always had a bit of a weakness where she was concerned. She was beautiful, but cold, and once he'd been the one who could melt the ice in her, but it always came back, and eventually he'd realised that there could never be anything real between them.

'I just want to catch up,' she said softly, smiling at him in that cold yet seductive way. 'I just want to talk, Tristan: anything else that happens is entirely up to you.'

0

A few days later, Belle arrived home to a surprise.

'Mulan?'

The woman with the long dark hair turned and smiled. 'Hey, Belle.'

Belle smiled and hugged her friend. 'What are you doing here? I thought we weren't going to see you till February!'

'I called her,' Ruby said, coming to join them. 'I asked her for some help.'

'Is everything alright, Ruby?' Belle asked, well aware of the line of work Mulan was in.

'It's not for me,' Ruby said quickly: 'it's for you.'

'What?' Belle had no idea what she meant: she had no problem that required the help of a private investigator to solve.

'Ruby told me about your mysterious Scotsman,' Mulan began.

'Ruby, you didn't!' Belle protested.

'And I did a little digging,' Mulan continued: 'this is for you.' She held out a manila envelope to Belle.

Belle stared at it. 'Ruby, Mulan, you shouldn't have done this.' She was torn between the questionable ethics and wanting to know what the envelope contained. She held out her hand and then pulled it back.

'Take it, honey,' Ruby prompted: 'go on.'

'Isn't this unethical?' Belle asked Mulan.

'Ruby hired me to find out what I could about this guy: she thought it would help. Take the envelope, Belle.'

'But doesn't Hopper's show have some kind of confidentiality clause? I don't feel right about doing this.'

'Belle, if you don't open that envelope, I will,' Ruby threatened.

Belle glared at her: she'd do it too. 'Fine,' she said, taking the envelope from Mulan.

She sat on the couch and opened it, heart racing.

Mulan had put together a factsheet about the man Belle had heard on the radio and Belle read through it avidly.

Name: Tristan Gold. Age: 42. Profession: Corporate lawyer, specialising in contracts and negotiations. Marital Status: Divorced. (Ex-wife Milah Cassady: currently co-habits with Killian Jones, a model and part-time actor). Children: One son, Bailey or Bae, aged 13. There was an address and some other details listed as well.

'There are some pictures too, if you wanna see what he looks like,' Mulan said.

As much as she didn't like what Mulan and Ruby had done, Belle did want to see what he looked like, so she looked at the photos.

The pictures showed a man with brown, collar-length hair that was grey at the temples. He was slim, not much taller than Belle, and, in each of the photos, he was dressed in what looked to be very expensive suits. He also carried a gold handled cane in his right hand: Belle realised he needed it to walk and wondered what had caused the injury.

She liked his face: it was thoughtful and intelligent looking, much more attractive to her than Greg's vacant expression, and she smiled at being able to put a face to the voice that had so caught her attention.

Her smile faded, though, as she looked at the final photos. They were of Tristan at a restaurant with a woman with long dark hair. The pictures had been taken from behind the woman, so Belle couldn't see her face, but she could see that, in one of the pictures, her hand was resting over Tristan's on the table, so even though they were dressed for work, the vibe Belle got was very different from that of a business lunch. Well, of course, it wasn't as if she actually knew him: it just felt like she did. Of course he wouldn't feel the same way about her: of course he'd find someone.

Ruby had been watching her: she'd seen her smile as she looked at the first few pictures and had seen the smile fade as she looked at the last few.

'What is it, Belle?' she asked, moving to sit beside her.

Belle put the pictures back in the envelope and smiled. 'It's nothing.'

'It's not nothing,' Ruby said knowingly, and took the envelope out of her hand.

'Ruby!' But Ruby was already looking through the pictures.

'Well, he's not my type,' she said, 'but I can see how he'd be yours. Oh, who's this, now?' she queried, holding up a photo of Tristan with the mysterious woman.

'Philip took those ones,' Mulan said: 'I have no idea who she is.'

'You told Philip?' Belle demanded.

'Mulan!' Ruby cried: 'I didn't mean for you to get Philip in on this too.'

'He wanted to help,' Mulan explained: 'he was worried about you, Belle, he didn't want you to get hurt.'

'Well, thank you all so much for your concern, but you don't have to worry about me,' Belle said, feeling her voice begin to tremble. She looked down at the photos and fought not to cry. 'I wish you hadn't done this,' she said softly, and felt a tear slide down her cheek. She turned away.

'Belle,' Ruby called, concerned.

But Belle shook her head. 'I just wanna be by myself for a while,' she said, and went to her room.

Once she'd closed the door behind her, she put her hand over her mouth as she began to sob. She didn't know why she was so upset, or why she felt so bereft, but it felt as though she'd suddenly lost something that she knew she would never find again.

**To be continued**

So, there you have chapter two. Chapter three will be posted next Sunday.

Happy reading

Kate


	3. Chapter three

So, we're now half way through - two more chapters after this. Thank you so much for reading and commenting - the comments have been lovely :)

As usual, I own nothing.

In case anyone was curious, I imagine Cora in this as the younger version we met in "The Miller's Daughter". And now on with the chapter :)

**Sleepless in Storybrooke**

_Chapter three_

That same evening, Tristan was chopping vegetables and paused to look at his son as he stood glowering in the doorway.

'Come on, Bae, don't look like that: Cora's just coming for dinner. I thought this was what you wanted, for me to meet someone?'

Bae glared at his father and held up Belle's letter. '_This_ is the one I like!'

Tristan rolled his eyes. 'Ah, not this again, Bae! I told you, there is absolutely no way we are going to New York to meet some stranger who could be a raving lunatic.'

Bae's glare turned darker, if that was possible. 'You're such an idiot sometimes, Papa,' he said, as though he was bitterly disappointed with him.

Tristan huffed out an irritated breath. 'Yeah, well, sometimes you behave like a right brat, Bailey.'

Bae sent his father a look of pure loathing. 'I'm gonna go do my homework,' he said coolly, and turned on his heel. As he was walking up the stairs, he shouted back to his father: 'If you'd bother to read her letter, you'd see she's not a raving lunatic!'

Tristan sighed. Being a single parent was never easy, but it seemed to have become even more difficult lately, since Bae had called that radio show. The crazy thing about it all was that he was doing what Bae wanted and what Dr Hopper had suggested: he was putting himself out there.

Lunch with Cora had been nice. The last time they had been together, it had been all about sex with very little emotion attached: he'd never been able to get past her coldness long enough to get to any real feeling anyway, but the companionship had been nice. She'd said she'd missed him and he believed her, and they'd always understood each other pretty well. Ok, so it would never be anything like the relationship Mary Margaret and David had, but he'd never thought that was in his future anyway. Even if they never made any declarations of love, he and Cora could ease each other's loneliness. What was wrong with that?

0

Bae was as polite as he could be under the circumstances. He was angry with his father, even more so after he met the woman he had invited for dinner, but he tried to be polite. The thing was, though, Cora was not a nice person: beautiful, yes, but not at all nice. There was no light or warmth in her eyes, and she barely looked at him when his father introduced him. She barely even looked at his father either, come to that: she did seem very interested in his father's antiques, though.

He waited what he thought was a reasonable ten minutes after dinner and then politely excused himself, saying he had homework to finish.

'Alright, Bae,' his father said, smiling at him, pleased his son had made an effort to be civil to Cora.

'It was nice to meet you, Cora,' Bae said, hoping it didn't sound snide or sarcastic.

'You too, Bailey,' the woman said carelessly, not even looking at him.

Bae wasn't lying when he said he had homework to finish and it took him a while to get through it. After he was done, he flopped down on his bed and switched on the radio, figuring he'd listen to some music for a while, but it was coming to the end of a show. He leaned over to change the station when the announcer came on.

'Next up on Radio FTL: Conscience Call with Dr Archie Hopper.'

Bae sat up: of course!

0

'Belle!' Ruby called urgently, opening the door before Belle could invite her in.

Belle turned over and looked at her friend. 'What is it, Ruby?'

'Come and listen to this: the kid's on.'

Belle frowned: the kid? 'Bae?'

'Yeah, come on, honey: come listen.'

Belle followed Ruby out into the living area. The radio was sitting on the coffee table and Mulan turned the sound up.

'Calm down, Bae,' Hopper said.

'But he's downstairs with her right now!' Bae said.

'But isn't this what you wanted, Bae: for your father to find someone?'

'Yeah, but not her!'

'Why not her, Bae?'

'Because she's…her eyes are cold,' the boy said. 'She's the ice queen, my papa's been captured by the ice queen!'

'Bailey, I think you should take a deep breath and try to relax.'

'You've gotta help me fix this,' Bae cried.

'Bae, perhaps now that you see that you may get what you wanted, you're not so sure you really want it after all?' Hopper suggested.

'No, that's not – I do want him to find someone, but…'

0

Bae suddenly realised that Dr Hopper couldn't help him, not unless he could get Belle on the phone so that they could talk to each other. Well, Hopper couldn't get her on the phone, but Bae had her address: he could write to her!

He hung up the phone quickly and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen: he had a letter to write.

0

'What happened?' Mulan asked.

'Sounds like the kid just hung up,' Ruby said. 'You know, I bet this ice queen is that woman from the photos at the restaurant.' She looked sideways at Belle, who was looking down at her clasped hands. Her eyes were all puffy from crying and Ruby hated seeing her so upset.

'Probably,' Mulan agreed.

'It doesn't matter whether it was or it wasn't,' Belle said quietly: 'it was foolish of me to think that anything could come of my letter.'

'Well, I know one thing,' Ruby said, 'nothing's gonna come of him and the ice queen, not if that boy hates her as much as he seems to.'

'Perhaps, but I think it's best I just forget about all of this: it's better for my heart if I do.' With that, Belle stood up. 'I'll see you both in the morning,' she said, and smiled, though both Ruby and Mulan could see that it was only a shadow of a smile. Their friend was hurting and they didn't know what to do to help her.

0

Two days after their dinner date, Tristan drove Cora to the airport: she was going out of town on business.

'So I'll see you Friday night,' Cora said.

Tristan nodded. 'I'll pick you up: we can have dinner.'

Cora smiled coldly. 'I look forward to it,' she said, and kissed him briefly.

He watched her through the gate and then headed towards the exit, thinking that everything with Cora sounded very much like a business arrangement: no warmth about it at all, but perhaps that was best for his heart.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw something – some_one_ – that made him stop in his tracks. Up ahead, at one of the other gates, a young woman had just picked up a toy a child had dropped and handed it back to the little boy, making him smile up at her. The mother thanked her profusely and the woman smiled a soft, sweet smile and spoke words that he couldn't hear. Then she turned and made her way towards the exit.

He followed, wanting to catch up with her, talk to her, anything so that she wouldn't just walk out of his life. Her petite figure moved swiftly through the crowd and he saw her move further and further away. His heart was pounding: he'd never felt like this before, as though he knew this woman somehow, from somewhere.

Not looking where he was going because he wanted to keep the petite brunette in his sights, he almost collided with a trolley, and by the time he was done with apologies, the woman was gone.

'Damn it,' he muttered, and, sighing, made his way towards the exit to begin the lonely drive home.

0

'Mulan get away ok?' Ruby asked.

'Fine,' Belle said: 'airport was busy, as always.'

'This came for you while you were out.' Ruby handed her a letter.

Belle shrugged off her coat and opened the envelope quickly, not checking the return address, Ruby noticed, smiling.

'So, who's it from?' she asked expectantly.

Belle frowned as she read the letter. 'Bailey Gold,' she said.

'The kid?'

'Yeah: he wrote back to me.' She sat on the couch, still reading.

'What does he say?' Ruby came and sat in the armchair.

Belle read the letter aloud.

'_Dear Belle,_

_I really liked your letter: it was way better than all the other letters Papa got. What's it like in Australia? Does the toilet really flush backwards? Do you get to have Christmas on the beach? Sorry, I bet you get asked those questions all the time._

_What I really wanted to say was that I think my papa will like you a lot when he meets you. You said you like books and he does too, and antiques: he knows a lot about antiques._

_We're really looking forward to meeting you in New York on Valentine's Day. Then you can see if you like my papa too and then who knows what will happen?_

_See you soon, Belle!_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Bailey Gold (but you can call me Bae)'_

'Aw, sweet kid,' Ruby said.

Belle smiled. 'Yeah.'

'So?' Ruby prompted.

'What?'

'You still gonna go, to the Empire State Building?'

'Oh, Ruby, I…'

'I know you want to,' Ruby wheedled, 'and they're gonna be there…'

Belle shook her head. 'That's what Bae says: I don't even know that his father knows anything about that letter. Bae could just be angry with him about the ice queen.'

Ruby thought for a minute, pondering how to get Belle not to give up. 'Go up there,' she said suddenly.

'What?'

'You heard me: Storybrooke is, what, three hours away? You could go on Sunday: take the whole day and go meet this guy.'

Belle stared at her. It was a crazy idea, but still, very appealing.

Ruby smiled in triumph, knowing she'd won her over. 'Do the brave thing, Belle.'

0

Belle watched them from across the street and smiled. The boy looked so like his father and it was so clear to anyone who saw them how much they loved each other. They were just having fun, throwing stones and bits of driftwood into the water, and laughing and talking together. Tristan looked relaxed in jeans and a sweater and Belle couldn't stop smiling as she watched them.

Suddenly a woman with long dark hair came into view and went to meet them. Bae gave a shout of welcome; then Tristan turned and hugged her. Belle stared at them: obviously the situation with the ice queen had changed, then. Her heart thudded painfully at the knowledge.

0

'Where are David and Emma?' Tristan asked Mary Margaret.

'They went to get groceries,' she said: 'I just saw you two down here so I thought I'd come say hi.'

'Well, you know your company is always very welcome, dearie,' Tristan said, smiling.

'So how are things?' she asked.

'Not bad,' he said, electing not to tell her about Cora, because he didn't need her lecturing him right now, not when he was having a good day.

'And how about you, Bae?' Mary Margaret asked, hugging him.

Tristan didn't hear his son's reply: his attention was caught by the woman on the road in front of him. He stared at her, immediately recognising her as the woman from the airport. He walked slowly forwards.

0

Belle didn't know what had possessed her, only she knew she had to try to connect with him, so she got out of the car and made her way towards him, and now he was there, staring at her, close enough to talk to.

He spoke first. 'Hello,' he called.

'Hello,' she returned, suddenly not knowing what else to say.

He was about to speak when a car horn blared loudly.

Belle jumped as the car came to a stop beside her. She hadn't realised she was standing in the middle of the road and now she felt mortified. Suddenly she lost all her courage and, turning, she got back into her car and drove away, deciding to put all of this foolishness behind her once and for all.

Tristan watched her go, feeling suddenly empty inside.

0

'So what did you say?' Ruby asked, sitting beside Belle as she related the fiasco her trip to Storybrooke had been.

Belle sniffled. 'All I could say was hello.'

'Oh, my God,' Ruby said, 'just like Deborah Kerr in that movie.'

'_An Affair to Remember_,' Belle said.

'Yeah: isn't that where you got the idea for meeting on top of the Empire State Building from?'

'Yes, but as far as I'm concerned, this is an affair to forget. I can't believe I was such an idiot. I just want to forget any of this ever happened.'

'But what about Bae's letter?'

'It means nothing,' Belle said: 'it was written before I went there, before his feelings about the ice queen changed.' She sighed. 'Remind me not to be such a hopeless romantic in future, will you, Ruby? I just want to put this whole mess behind me.'

Ruby studied her friend and knew she didn't really mean it, but how could she make Belle see that?

0

'So you saw her in the airport and here?' David asked, when Tristan stopped by for a drink that night.

'Yeah. It was weird, like _déjà vu_: I felt like I knew her.'

David smiled. 'You're starting to sound like Mary Margaret.'

'Excuse me,' Mary Margaret protested, 'I remember a time when you weren't so down on romance. Don't you remember "I will always find you"?'

'Honey, I'm just kidding,' David soothed. 'I love love: you know that. It's just weird hearing all this coming from Tristan's lips.'

'Well, I think it's nice,' Mary Margaret said.

'It's a bloody nuisance is what it is,' Tristan protested. 'I don't even know this woman and I can't get her out of my head. I need to start focusing my attentions on women who are available and here, not this…apparition of a woman.'

'Women like Cora, you mean,' Mary Margaret asked quietly.

Tristan sighed. 'Bailey told you.'

'Bae only told me you were seeing some woman named Cora: he doesn't know your history with her, but I do, and my question for you, Tristan is: are you nuts?'

'Easy, honey,' David said, wanting to avoid an argument.

'No, by all means, continue, please,' Tristan invited.

'You got together with her when you were in a bad place,' Mary Margaret observed, 'and you think that by revisiting things with her now that you're going to be happy? You think things have really changed that much? Come on, Tristan!'

'Look, Mary Margaret, I'm not saying it's gonna last or that it's ever gonna be anything like what you have with David, it's just…it's…'

'What?' she prompted.

'It's comfortable.'

She stared at him, disappointed. 'Oh, Tristan,' she said, not knowing what else to say.

'Any woman who gets involved with me is gonna have a lot to take on,' Tristan said, trying to explain: 'what with Bae and…my leg. It's better in the long run if I don't put my heart into it because then, when she leaves, it'll be easier.'

Mary Margaret understood. 'So, you got involved with Cora again because you knew there was no love involved.'

'In a nutshell, yeah.'

'And you don't think that you deserve more?' she asked softly.

'Or are you afraid to try for more?' David asked.

'Look, we've been friends for a long time,' Tristan said, 'and I don't wanna argue with you about this. Let's just agree to disagree, eh?'

'Tristan, you don't get it, do you?' Mary Margaret asked. 'This isn't a simple matter of business we're talking about here: it's your heart. Forgive me, but I think you're making a big mistake with Cora. Say you do stay together, in whatever kind of relationship you have: when you get to the end of your life, are you gonna be able to look back and say "yes, that was worth it and I was happy"? Are you gonna be able to say that, Tristan, or are you gonna look back and see wasted, empty years, and realise that all the love in your heart never found a home? It's because I'm your friend that I'm pushing this: I just want you to be happy.'

Tristan didn't say anything and she sighed. 'Let me ask you one thing, just one and then I'll leave it alone: does Cora make you feel the way that woman at the airport made you feel in those brief glimpses you got of her?'

He picked up his cane and stood up. 'What does it matter how she made me feel? She's gone: she's not coming back, and I've got to live my life. I'll see myself out.'

He walked home and poured himself a Scotch. The house was quiet: Bailey was asleep, so there was nothing but the Scotch and his thoughts for company. Well, that wasn't quite accurate: there was also that beautiful apparition, haunting him with her kind eyes and warm smile. Cora…was not her, but Cora was here, so it was her he called to make plans for Friday night. He tried to ignore the way his heart lurched in protest as he spoke to her. This was to be his life: his heart must just accept that. He went to bed, and didn't sleep.

**To be continued**

Ending on a bit of a sad note there, so sorry about that. Little bit of angst before we get to the fluff :) Thanks so much for reading and comments/observations are always welcome.

If anyone is interested, I also post on Archive of Our Own under Scribbles_by_Kate and I'm on Tumblr too under Scribbles-by-Kate.

Chapter four will be up next Sunday - see you then :)


	4. Chapter four

So, here we are at the penultimate chapter. Thank you so much for reading and to those who took the time to comment: It means a lot to me.

We see a little more of Emma in this chapter.

As usual, I don't own anything: I'm just having fun.

**Sleepless in Storybrooke**

_Chapter four_

The week before Valentine's Day, Tristan gave his son some news.

'I'm gonna be out of town on Valentine's Day, son, and I won't be back till the evening of the fifteenth,' he said.

Bae looked at his father. 'Where are you going?'

'Cora and I have plans.'

Bae's heart sank. If his father and Cora had plans on Valentine's Day, it could only mean one thing, especially if they would be away over night. He had to stop this: he had to stop his father making the biggest mistake of his life, but he needed help.

'So, I guess I'll be staying at the Nolans'?' he asked.

Tristan stared at his son. 'You're not gonna argue with me?'

Bae shot him a look. 'What's the point?' he asked bitterly: 'you wouldn't listen to me anyway.' He stood then and went to his room.

0

Later that day, Bae was with Emma, pacing as she read Belle's letter. He'd told her about calling the radio station, Belle, Cora, and his father, and he was waiting to hear what she thought of it all.

'I like this letter,' Emma said, and looked up at her friend. 'Bae, can you stop pacing: you're making me dizzy.'

'Sorry,' he said, and slumped into a chair.

'It's like that old movie.' Emma continued.

'What movie?'

'_An Affair to Remember_,' Emma said: 'the characters arrange to meet on top of the Empire State Building on Valentine's Day.'

'And do they, meet, I mean?'

'She gets in an accident and never turns up, but they meet later.'

'Hold on, you watched an old movie about love?' Bae asked, smiling in disbelief: romantic movies were so not Emma's thing.

'I watched it with Mom, ok,' she defended: 'it was on late one night and Dad was away, so we had a girls' night. Problem?'

'No problem,' he returned, still smiling a little. 'So, was it good?'

'It was ok,' she said: 'Mom cried the whole time. Anyway, this doesn't help us figure out how to get you to New York so you can meet this woman.'

Bae's eyes lit up. 'You're gonna help me?'

She rolled her eyes. 'Of course I'm gonna help, idiot: what are friends for? Plus, this Cora woman sounds like a total nightmare.'

'You have no idea,' he replied ominously.

'So, we gotta get you from here to the bus station, on a bus to Boston, and then to the airport, and then on a flight to New York. You got any money?'

'Well, I can't get into my bank account without Papa signing something, but I've got about a hundred dollars at home.'

She nodded. 'Ok, that should cover bus and cab fares: for the rest, we're gonna need a credit card.'

'Papa'd know if I took his.'

'I've got it covered: be right back,' she said, and left him.

He crept to the door and listened to her conversation with her mother.

'Please, Mom? It's just twenty bucks, and I _promise_ I'll pay you back. Please?'

'Alright, but I'm gonna hold you to that promise, little swan,' Mary Margaret said affectionately.

'_Mom_! Bae's upstairs: don't call me that when he's around.'

Bae grinned: he could picture the look on Emma's face at the pet name. She was so never gonna live this down.

'Sorry, sorry,' Mary Margaret returned, though she didn't sound at all sorry: 'my credit card's in my purse on the table.'

'Thanks, Mom: you're the best!'

Less than a minute later, Emma was back, holding her mother's credit card triumphantly in her hand and grinning.

'How'd you get her to give it to you?' he asked in awe.

'Guess I'm just a good kid,' she said, 'and I don't ask for a lot, so when I do want something, they usually say yes.'

'Ok, so what do we do?'

'You look up flight times from Logan to JFK and I'll check out bus times.'

A few minutes later, Emma looked up from her phone. 'Ok, good news is that the buses from here stop off at Logan, so you don't have to go into Boston and come back out: that cuts down on travel time. It's still gonna take about three hours to get to Logan, though, and the earliest bus is six thirty in the morning.'

'Well, there's a flight at ten thirty: that should give me enough time, shouldn't it?' Bae asked, looking up from Emma's computer.

'I think so,' she said. 'Bus station's twenty minutes from here: you can borrow my bike. You're gonna have to be up early,' she warned him, knowing full well that Bailey Gold was not a morning person.

He nodded. 'Ok: whatever I have to do.'

'Ok, let's book you a plane ticket.'

Twenty minutes later, they were all done. Bae looked at Emma with a smile.

'I'd never have been able to do this without you,' he said.

'That's true,' she said, smiling.

Suddenly, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. 'Thanks, little swan.'

'Hey!' she cried, and felt her face turning pink with embarrassment, but Bae only grinned at her.

'Later, Em,' he called, heading out the door.

Emma tossed a pillow at the door as it closed; then she sat for a while, dazed, her cheek tingling from where he'd kissed her.

0

The day before Valentine's Day, Belle got a phone call.

'Hi Dad,' she greeted, smiling into the phone.

'Hi, darling: just called to say hey. What are you up to?'

'Packing for my trip to New York with Ruby.'

'Oh, yeah: the big trip. So, what have you got planned?'

'Well, we're meeting up with Mulan, Aurora, and Philip. We all managed to get some time off together, so we'll be in Manhattan for a few days. We're going to a club on Valentine's night. Do you think you'll get time to do anything special, Dad?' Being a florist, of course, Valentine's was the biggest day of the year for him, but she hoped he might have something planned.

'Well, I've got a bit of news for you, love,' he said a little hesitantly.

'You met someone,' she said knowingly, smiling: 'I'm very happy for you, Dad.'

'You're…alright with it?' he asked, a little surprised.

'Of course!' she said honestly: 'Mum would be too, you know,' she added softly.

'Thank you, darling: that means a lot to me.'

'So, what's her name?'

'Lydia: she owns the dress shop across the street, actually,' he said. 'I'd seen her around lots, but we'd never really spoken. We happened to meet in the supermarket one day and got talking: we just really hit it off. She's a widow with one son: raised him herself after her husband died. I guess we have a few things in common. Anyway, I'm taking her out for dinner on Valentine's night.'

'That's wonderful, Dad: I really am very, very happy for you.'

'What about you?' he asked: 'anyone special in your life? Feel free to tell me to mind my own business if you want to!'

Belle did her best not to sound upset as she replied. 'No, there's no one special: guess I'm just too busy with work.' She laughed a little.

'It'll happen for you, darling,' he said with conviction. 'I know Greg wasn't right for you and I should've accepted that before: I'm sorry I pestered you about him, but you'll meet someone that's perfect for you, I know it.'

Belle bit her lip to keep from sobbing. 'Well, Greg wasn't so bad, I guess,' she said. If it was a choice between Greg and being lonely, she knew she'd pick Greg, and her heart clenched painfully at that realisation. 'And it's ok: I know you were just worried about me. Anyway, look, I'm still coming for a visit in March, so I look forward to meeting Lydia then, and you two have a lovely dinner, alright?'

'Thank you, Belle: I'll see you soon, love, and enjoy Manhattan.'

'Bye Dad.'

After she'd hung up the phone, she went to check on Ruby, who was notoriously indecisive when it came to choosing clothes. If Belle didn't help her pack, she'd be way over the weight restriction.

Ruby saw the look on her face and stopped what she was doing. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing, I was just talking to Dad. How are you doing in here?'

Ruby knew it wasn't nothing, but she had a plan to fix everything, so she left it alone, for now.

'Thank goodness you're here,' she said: 'I just can't decide what to bring!'

Belle smiled and shook her head. 'Well, for a start, you don't need five pairs of black heels: one will do.'

0

Tristan checked his watch and rolled his eyes: his son was almost impossible to rouse in the mornings usually, but this morning was particularly bad. He'd shouted up the stairs four times already and now he thought that nothing short of a bucket of ice cold water would get Bailey out of bed.

Sighing, he stood up and made his way up the stairs.

'Bailey, I swear, if you're not up and dressed in five minutes, you and I are gonna have an argument,' he called, walking down the hall to his son's room. He knocked on the door. 'Bae?' No answer. Reaching the end of his tether, he opened the door.

'Bailey Gold–' He stopped yelling because there was no one in the room to yell at: his son's bed was empty.

He checked, just to be sure he hadn't imagined it, but it was empty, and Bae's cell phone was sitting on the bedside table, so he couldn't call him to ask where he was.

Trying to calm his racing heart, he considered where his boy could be. The first location that occurred to him was the Nolans', so he made his way there as fast as his bad leg would allow: luckily, they only lived down the street.

Mary Margaret answered the door and frowned at the look on his face. 'Tristan? What's up?'

'Have you seen Bae?' he asked, breathing hard.

'No, we haven't: why?' She opened the door wider as she spoke and he entered.

'Because when I went to wake him this morning he was gone.'

'Oh, my God! David! Emma!'

'What's wrong?' David asked, running down the stairs.

'Bae's missing,' Mary Margaret said.

David's eyes widened. 'Call Graham: Tristan, think about where he could have gone and you and I will start searching.'

'You'll be wasting your time,' Emma called from halfway up the stairs, 'and there's no point in calling Sheriff Graham either.'

All the adults looked up at her and it was a testament to how brave twelve-year-old Emma was that she didn't look away.

Mary Margaret went to the foot of the stairs. 'Emma, do you know where Bae is?'

Emma nodded. 'Yeah.' She came all the way down the stairs.

'Honey, Tristan's really worried: you have to tell us where he went.'

'He's on his way to New York.'

Tristan stared at her. 'What?'

She looked at him. 'He went to meet the woman from the letter: Belle.'

'Oh, my God,' Mary Margaret breathed.

'Where would he even get the money for something like that?' David wondered.

For the first time since she'd appeared among them, Emma looked sheepish, and her mother spotted it immediately.

'Emma Ruth Nolan, is there something you'd like to tell us?' she demanded.

Emma sighed. 'The other day when I borrowed your credit card, I used it to buy Bae a plane ticket.'

'Oh, my God!' Mary Margaret cried: 'Emma!'

'I had to!' Emma protested: 'he's my friend and he was really upset about this Cora woman, and he showed me Belle's letter, and it was a really sweet letter, and–'

'Enough!' Tristan yelled, and Emma jumped. Mary Margaret hugged her.

'Hey!' David cried, going over to his daughter, who looked scared suddenly: 'I know you're upset, Tristan, but you do _not_ raise your voice to my child.'

Tristan took a deep, shaky breath. 'No: I apologise, I–'

''s ok, Mr Gold,' Emma said softly. She stepped out from between her parents. 'Bae didn't mean to make you worry: he just didn't know how else to make you listen.'

Well, he'd sure got his attention now: he'd been such a fool.

'I know, Emma,' he said softly: 'I understand, it's just… I need to find him: he's all I've got and…'

'He went to the Empire State Building,' she said.

He nodded. 'Then that's where I'll find him.' He moved towards the door and then turned back. 'I'm sorry for yelling, and thanks for your help.'

'Give us a call when you find him?' Mary Margaret requested, and he knew by the look on their faces that they would all worry until he called.

He nodded again. 'I will.'

0

As he rode in the back of the taxi to the Empire State Building, Bae looked up at all the huge buildings. Boston had some big buildings, but nothing compared to this.

'So, what are you gonna do when you get to the top, kid: spit off the side?' the cab driver asked jovially.

Bae shook his head and smiled. 'I'm gonna meet my new mom.'

But none of the women he asked was named Belle and with each negative response, he felt a little of his hope trickle away.

0

Tristan had had to wait until the afternoon for a flight because they were all booked until four o'clock. Of course, it would be just his luck that New York was a popular Valentine's Day destination.

He waited and worried and paced until finally they called his flight number and he could board: one step closer to finding his boy.

0

Ruby had suggested that the four girls have dinner together before meeting Philip. Mulan and Aurora thought it was a great idea, so Belle agreed too, though she wasn't really feeling very jovial and she wasn't sure she'd be good company.

'I found us a great restaurant,' Ruby explained as they walked down the street: 'it's got beautiful views of the city,' she enthused.

'Great,' Belle said, and smiled, though Ruby knew her heart wasn't in it. With a bit of luck, though, everything would turn out right in the end.

'Here we are!' she cried, and led her friends into the building.

The restaurant seemed to be near the top of the building and as the four friends entered it, they saw that the views were indeed spectacular.

Ruby spoke to the greeter quietly and the woman nodded.

'Yes, Lucas, party of four: come right this way,' she invited, and led them towards a table right by the window.

Belle noticed the building opposite immediately: it was hard not to, since it filled the whole window. The Empire State Building stood tall and majestic, in all its art deco glory, right in Belle's eye line.

'What a view, huh?' Ruby commented, and Belle was about to turn to her and yell, or scream, or cry, but instead she gasped, because, suddenly, the windows opposite lit up pink in honour of Valentine's Day, and, just as suddenly, Belle _knew_.

'I-I have to go,' she said softly.

'Go where, Belle?' Ruby asked.

'There,' Belle said, tilting her head towards the building opposite. 'I have to at least look: otherwise I'll always wonder.'

'You sure?' Ruby asked.

Belle nodded confidently. 'I'm going to do the brave thing.'

Ruby grinned. 'I was hoping you'd say that.'

Belle hugged her friends and they all wished her good luck; then she rushed to the exit to ask for her coat, but the greeter was already holding it out for her.

'Good luck,' she said, smiling.

Belle smiled, amused at the elaborateness of Ruby's scheme, and thanked her.

Luckily, she found a cab quickly, but the traffic was not on her side, so, only halfway there, she got out of the cab and began to run.

0

Bae sighed and slumped onto the ground beside one of the telescopes. The observation deck was closing: she hadn't come. The worst thing about all this, though, was that he was here alone, and he'd stupidly left his cell phone at home, so he couldn't even call his papa, who was, most likely, furious with him. Even if all his father did was yell at him, he just wished he were there.

Suddenly the sound of tapping caught his attention and he looked up.

'Bae!' his father cried, rushing towards him.

Bae couldn't keep from crying. 'Papa!' he shouted, before being enveloped in his father's arms and clinging to him for dear life.

'What in the world were you thinking?' Tristan demanded of his son, pulling back just enough to say that and then hugging him again.

'I'm sorry,' Bae sobbed. 'I thought she'd be here: I thought she'd come.'

'But what if something had happened to you? What if I couldn't get to you?' Tristan held his son by the shoulders and stared at him. 'You're the most important thing in the world to me, son: if anything happened to you, I would truly, truly turn to dust.'

Bae knew his father meant every word and he was sorry he'd ever been angry with him and made him worry, and he told him so.

'I know, son, and I'm sorry too,' Tristan said. 'I won't be seeing Cora any more and I'm gonna cut back on my workload. All that matters to me is you, and we do alright together, don't we?'

Bae nodded and smiled, and he and his father walked towards the elevator together.

'Hey, maybe when we get home, we could get a dog,' Tristan suggested: 'would you like that?'

'Sure,' Bae said, and smiled up at his father.

0

Belle rushed up to the reception desk, but the guard said the observation deck was closed for the night. She almost turned away in defeat, but she'd come this far; she wasn't going to give up now. She looked up at the guard.

'It's just… there's someone I was supposed to meet: he's probably not there, but if I don't at least check, I'll always wonder about it.'

'Cary Grant?' the man asked with a genial smile.

Belle smiled. 'You know that movie?'

'My wife's favourite,' the guard said: 'go ahead.' He waved her towards the elevators.

'Thank you!' Belle cried, rushing to a waiting elevator.

There was no one left on the observation deck, though, and her heart sank.

'Sorry, miss,' the attendant said: 'empty.'

Belle nodded, but she suddenly felt like she was going to cry. 'Can-can I just have a minute?' she asked: 'please?'

The attendant nodded understandingly. 'Go ahead.'

Belle smiled gratefully, and made her way out to the deck. The breeze was cool on her face and she breathed in lungfuls of the night air, hoping that would distract her and she wouldn't burst into tears.

After a long moment, she turned to leave and spotted something on the ground by one of the telescopes: it was a bag. Frowning, she picked it up, and was about to open it and search for clues to its owner, when the elevator pinged and she heard voices.

'I left it right by the tele…scopes,' Bae told his father, and then stared at the beautiful woman who was holding his bag.

Belle stared at the man and his son, her heart beating fast. She didn't know what to say, but the man spoke first.

'It's you,' he said, and could have kicked himself: who else would it be? 'I saw you…in the street.'

'Are you Belle?' Bae asked hopefully, and smiled when the woman nodded and sent him a sweet smile.

'_You're_ Belle?' Tristan asked, astonished: _this_ was the woman his son had wanted him to meet? Clearly he needed to give more credence to things his son said.

'I'm Bae,' Bae said, seeing that his papa wasn't up to performing introductions right now, 'and this is my papa: Tristan.'

Belle smiled at the boy: she knew she liked him. 'Hello, Bae,' she said softly, and then looked up at the father and sighed contentedly: 'Tristan.'

He was too dumbfounded to speak and Bae laughed softly.

Belle smiled at him, but she could understand how Tristan was feeling because she was feeling it too. It was easier right now to talk to Bae, so she did.

'So, this must be yours,' she said, holding up the bag she'd found.

'Yeah: thanks.'

The attendant cleared his throat then and the three of them realised they were keeping him waiting.

'I guess we'd better go,' Tristan said, finding his voice at last.

Belle nodded, suddenly feeling bereft. They'd just found each other: she didn't want to say goodbye so soon.

Tristan smiled at her, having no intention of letting her go.

'Shall we?' he asked, holding out his hand for hers.

She smiled and gave him her hand, and the three of them walked to the elevator together. Bae grinned to himself as his papa and Belle kept staring at each other.

'Tristan,' Belle said softly as they stood in the elevator: 'it's very nice to meet you.'

**To be continued**

And so our lovers have met. Final chapter will be up next Sunday. It just finishes things off a little. I always wanted to know what happened between Sam and Annie next in _Sleepless in Seattle_, so since this is my RumBelle version, I'm gonna tell you what happens next. Thanks so much for reading.


	5. Chapter five

So, here we are on the final chapter. This just fills in what happened after the meeting. Be warned, it's a fluff-fest, but we get so much angst with RumBelle that I think a little fluff is needed!

I want to say thank you so much for reading and especially to those who've left comments. Over twenty comments for my little story and all so sweet – I'm very touched.

As usual, I own nothing: I'm just dabbling.

**Sleepless in Storybrooke**

_Chapter five_

They stood on the pavement, still holding hands.

Bae looked at them. 'What do we do now?' he wondered.

Tristan smiled. 'Well, I think you and I need to find a hotel and I need to make a few phone calls, and then perhaps the three of us could have dinner?' He looked at Belle.

She smiled. 'I'd like that very much.'

They started walking down the street.

'Who do you need to call?' Bae asked his father.

'Well, when I found you gone this morning, I went to the Nolans' and Emma told me where you were. Mary Margaret made me promise to call them when I'd found you. I should call Cora too, and let her know I won't be meeting her after all.'

'You don't _have_ to call _her_,' Bae said, making a face.

'This'll be the last time I speak to her, son,' Tristan promised.

'Good,' Bae said, relieved. He smiled at Belle then and she guessed that this Cora woman was the one he'd called the ice queen. His feelings about her _hadn't_ changed, then, so the woman on the beach must have been a different person entirely: she'd obviously just looked like Cora from behind.

'I should probably call my friend Ruby as well,' she said. She smiled at them. 'She's the one who convinced me to write to you in the first place.'

'I have to confess that I never actually read your letter, Belle,' Tristan admitted: 'Bae wanted me to, but…'

'He thought you were a raving lunatic,' Bae filled in helpfully.

Belle laughed at Tristan's mortified look.

'It's alright,' she told him, squeezing his hand: 'I'd probably have thought the same.' She smiled and so did he. 'Anyway, I should probably confess something myself,' she said. 'That day in Storybrooke, I knew who you were: I told Ruby about hearing you on the radio and she had some friends of ours who are private investigators do a little digging, so I probably know more about you than you do about me. I know it's crazy, not to mention unethical, and I'm sorry: I just–' But he squeezed her hand to shush her and she saw that he was amused rather than annoyed.

'Sounds like this friend of yours would get on very well with my son,' he said, and smiled at her. 'Seems like the universe has conspired to bring us together and I'm very glad it has.'

Her smile was radiant. 'I am too,' she said earnestly.

0

Tristan ended up paying an almost exorbitant amount of money for a hotel room, but it was worth it to be able to spend some time with Belle. He'd known her less than an hour, but he felt like he'd always known her, or always been meant to meet her. He'd never felt such peace, such contentment, or such happiness before: it was a revelation to him.

Belle waited in the lobby while he and Bae went to their room to wash up.

Bae grinned triumphantly at his father as they rode in the elevator.

'I knew you'd like her, Papa,' he said: 'you should listen to me more.'

'Aye, I should,' Tristan agreed. 'I'm sorry, Bae.'

Bae smiled. 'I forgive you, Papa.' They hugged and then Bae had a brainwave. 'You know, I'm kinda tired,' he said: 'why don't you go have dinner with Belle and I'll just order room service and go to bed early?'

Tristan smiled and shook his head, but then he offered his son his hand. 'Deal.'

Bae grinned.

0

'Yeah, he's fine, Mary Margaret: thank goodness.'

Tristan had taken a few minutes before meeting Belle to make his phone calls.

'That's a relief,' she said, sighing. 'So, what about that woman he went to meet: did she show up?"

'Aye, she did,' he said softly.

'And?' she pressed.

'And it turns out that she's the woman I saw in the airport and on the street at home.'

'You're kidding!'

'I know: weird, huh?'

'It's like fate,' she said.

'I'm starting to think that, yeah,' he said.

'So, how do you feel?' she asked.

He smiled. 'Nervous,' he said: 'a little scared, like I've woken up from a very long sleep, and very happy.'

'So it's nowhere near comfortable, then?' she queried.

He laughed. 'No, me and comfortable have parted ways forever.'

She smiled. 'Good: I'm glad. So, what are your plans now?'

'I'm gonna take her to dinner and then we'll see from there.'

'Great, well, good luck: we can't wait to meet this woman.'

'Thanks, Mary Margaret: you can tell Emma to expect a call from Bae any minute.'

'Will do: good night.'

0

While she waited, Belle called Ruby.

'So, how'd it go: did you meet him? What happened, Belle?' Ruby demanded without even saying hello.

Belle laughed. 'Yes, I met him,' she said.

'And?'

'And we're going out to dinner,' she said, smiling happily.

'Alright, Belle!' Ruby crowed. 'So, you're happy: everything's good?'

'Everything's wonderful,' Belle said softly: 'he's sweet, and warm, and looks at me like…'

'Like you're special,' Ruby finished, smiling.

'Yes,' Belle said, and smiled again. 'I know I've only known him an hour, but it just feels right: I can't explain it.'

'Then don't try,' Ruby told her firmly, yet gently: 'just go with your heart.'

'Thank you, Ruby: you're a wonderful friend, you know that?'

'I know,' Ruby said, and they both laughed. 'We'll see you when we see you, ok?'

'Thank you,' Belle said again: 'say good night to everyone for me.'

0

Cora wasn't happy at being stood up, but Tristan couldn't find it in him to be sorry, not when he compared how he'd felt with her to how he felt with Belle.

'What you and I had is just not enough for me,' he said to Cora as he stepped off the elevator and looked around for Belle.

'So what is this: goodbye?' Cora asked, and there was no pain in her voice: it was asked like she'd ask any question, and she didn't even seem all that interested in the answer. He wondered how he could ever have been attracted to her.

'Yes,' he said, and smiled as he caught sight of Belle finishing up her own phone call: 'yes, it's goodbye.'

Belle went to meet him, smiling.

'Will Bae be joining us for dinner?' she asked.

'He's decided he'd rather order room service and have an early night,' he told her, 'so it's just you and me. Do you mind?'

She shook her head. 'I don't mind.'

0

'I can't believe it worked!' Bae said to Emma.

She laughed. 'Well, I guess we're good plotters. So, what's she like?'

'Beautiful and sweet, and I know I'm gonna love her.'

'I'm happy for you, and your dad, but don't disappear on him like that again: he was really worried.'

'I won't. So, did your mom and dad ground you?'

'Yeah, for a week, but I don't mind: it was worth it.'

'Thanks, Em: hey, maybe when you're not grounded any more, we could go see a movie or something?' he suggested hopefully.

There was silence for a moment on the other end of the phone. 'Yeah, I'd like that,' Emma said softly.

Bae grinned. 'Great.'

0

Over dinner, Tristan and Belle talked.

They began with her letter. Bae had given it to him before he left the room and told him to read it.

'I wish I'd read it when he asked me to,' he told her.

She shook her head and squeezed his hand. 'It doesn't matter,' she told him: 'we're here now.'

He smiled. He didn't need to ask where that was exactly because he knew they both knew. They'd work this out, somehow.

'I think perhaps we were always meant to be here,' he said: 'I knew it the very first time I laid eyes on you.'

'That day I ran away like a scared little rabbit,' she said, shaking her head at herself.

'Actually, I saw you before that,' he told her.

'You did?'

'At the airport: you gave a child back the toy he'd dropped and you smiled that lovely, sweet smile of yours. I tried to catch up with you as you left, but you were too fast for me.' He smiled.

'I wish I'd known,' she said softly, eyes wide and full of sincerity.

He shook his head. 'No matter: we're here now.' They smiled at each other.

Soon, they moved from the dining room to one of the quiet seating areas dotted around the hotel and talked for hours. She told him about growing up in Australia, losing her mother when she was just seven and missing her every day. He held her hand as she talked and gave her his handkerchief when she cried. She told him about moving to America with her wonderful, but sometimes anxious and over-protective, father, settling in New York first and then moving to Boston where she had built a life for herself.

He told her about growing up in Glasgow, Milah and their rocky marriage, and his wonderful, clever son. Then he told her the thing he never talked about with anyone: he told her about the leg injury he'd sustained in a car accident nearly ten years ago and how difficult it had been to find his sense of self again afterwards, as well as the further tension it created in his marriage.

'Milah had been pulling away anyway,' he told her, 'but that was the final nail in the coffin. Shortly after that, she took up with that actor and then she left with him. I came home from work to find Bae alone and a note from her on the table.'

'My God!' Belle cried: 'that heartless woman.' Tears trickled down her cheeks. 'Leaving you because of some terrible twist of fate that you couldn't control: it's beyond cruel!'

He smiled a little at her taking his side, but he had to tell her that it wasn't as simple as that: he had to tell her the whole truth.

'I wasn't good to her, though, Belle. We were never a good fit anyway, but the harder things got between us, the more I took it out on her: the more we took it out on each other, I suppose. There was never any physical abuse on either side, but the emotional abuse left its scars deep enough. We weren't happy together: my leg was just the final straw. I can understand why she wouldn't have wanted to stay with a cripple, especially when she didn't love me.'

Belle squeezed his hand and he saw that her expression was pained at his words. Somehow he knew that if he'd been married to Belle instead of Milah, his life would have been happier and he wouldn't have experienced the loneliness and the sleepless nights that he knew all too well. In that moment, he knew that he would never be lonely again: she would chase all the sadness, all the loneliness, and all the doubt away for good.

She smiled at him and stroked the back of his hand tenderly with her thumb as she spoke again.

'It wasn't just that you weren't good to her: she wasn't good to you either. It's like Dr Hopper said: it takes two to make a marriage or any relationship fail, so Milah has a lot to answer for too. Anyway,' she told him, 'that part of your life is over now, and at least you got something precious out of it in Bae: he's a very sweet boy.'

He smiled at her obvious fondness for his son. 'Aye, he's a good boy: no one ever had a better.'

'I know how difficult it was for my dad raising me after Mum died: it can't have been easy for you with Bae,' she observed.

'It wasn't,' he agreed, 'but David and Mary Margaret were a big help. They're good friends of mine: they're looking forward to meeting you, by the way.' He smiled and so did she.

Something occurred to her then. 'By any chance, was that Mary Margaret I saw with you on the beach that day?' she asked.

'Yes,' he told her.

'Ah,' she said, and felt very foolish: 'I thought she was Cora.'

'You thought Mary Margaret was Cora?' She nodded and he smiled. 'Is that why you ran away?'

'Partly,' she said, 'but there was also the fact that I was standing in the middle of a street full of oncoming traffic. I guess I felt foolish and embarrassed, but I'm sorry I ran away.'

'I think we've both been a bit slow in getting here,' he commented: 'I know I've been afraid to risk my heart.' He smiled at her. 'I think perhaps I was just waiting to meet the right woman.'

She smiled and blushed. 'I knew that you were special when I heard you talk with Bae on the radio, and then when you talked about love it-it felt like you were reading my mind.' She laughed a little and shook her head. 'These things happen in movies, but I never imagined anything like this happening to me.'

'Nor did I,' he murmured, taking her hands in his. 'I never thought that this was in my future: I never imagined I would feel like this.'

'How do you feel?' she asked softly, staring at him.

He smiled a warm, happy smile. 'Like I never want to let you out of my sight,' he told her, raising one hand to touch her cheek gently: 'like I never want to let you out of my arms,' he added, his voice low and intimate.

It was the first time he'd touched her other than holding her hand and she caught her breath at the tenderness of the gesture and at the sound of love in his voice.

'Oh, Tristan, I feel the same way,' she assured him, her eyes sparkling with happy tears and her lips quivering with the emotion she was feeling.

'Sweetheart,' he murmured, and she almost cried at the sweet endearment, but instead she leaned over and touched her lips to his for their first kiss.

Tristan took her into his arms as they kissed and knew that his heart had found its home.

Neither of them noticed that the sun was coming up as they kissed. They'd stayed up all night talking like young lovers, but that was exactly how they felt.

0

_Eighteen months later_

Belle sat up suddenly, gasping.

Tristan heard her and, turning on the bedside lamp, he sat up beside her. 'Belle?' he asked, worried.

She turned to him and smiled. 'It's time: my water just broke.'

He smiled and kissed her. 'Wonderful,' he murmured, and rested his hand on her stomach.

She laid her hand atop his and kissed him again. 'I love you.'

He stroked her cheek. 'I love you too.'

She smiled again. 'Hopefully I'll be able to get out of bed.'

He laughed. 'Let me help, sweetheart.' He climbed out of bed and limped around to her. He helped her up and she hugged him.

'Thank you, darling,' she murmured. She smiled up at him. 'I have loved being pregnant,' she told him, 'but I'm so ready to not be any more.'

He laughed. 'Well, my love, it won't be long now.'

He stared down at her then and she knew that look: it was his 'I'm the luckiest man on earth' look. That look always made her eyes fill with happy tears because she knew she was married to a man whose deep, tender, abiding love she could feel in every touch, every word, and every look, making her know that she in turn was the luckiest woman on earth. He would love her forever, as she would love him, and she wouldn't trade the pain and uncertainty she'd felt before their meeting for anything, not now that they were together and so happy, thanks to Bae and Ruby.

Oh, it hadn't been easy even after their meeting. Parting in Boston had been difficult, but they tried to console themselves with promises of long talks on the phone and weekend visits. It got harder to say goodbye, though: phone calls got longer and longer, and her visits to Storybrooke and Tristan and Bae's visits to Boston were just never enough time together. Finally, after two months of phone calls and commuting, Belle told him that she'd discovered that Storybrooke was in need of a new librarian, she'd applied for the job and had gotten it, and she was moving to Storybrooke. Tristan had been astonished, but absolutely delighted, and so had Bae.

Belle's father wasn't so sure at first, though: he had been worried about the age difference and Tristan having a kid already. Their first meeting was rather tense and Belle told Tristan that it was just because she was Moe's only child and he was protective. To her father, she said that she was in love and that she was happy, and that she'd like for him to try to get along with Tristan.

'You told me that I would meet someone that was perfect for me,' she reminded him, 'and I have. Please, can you accept my choice and be happy for me?'

Lydia had spoken to him on the subject too and Moe had promised to try to get along with Tristan. The more he saw them together, the more Moe could appreciate how much in love they were. He thought about his dear Ellie and how much he'd loved her, and he could see that Tristan loved his daughter with the same depth of feeling. He treated Belle like a queen and obviously adored her, and his little girl had never been happier, so Moe accepted the relationship and was happy that his darling daughter had found a man to love her as much as she deserved.

There was no uncertainty at all from Belle's friends towards Tristan or from Tristan's friends towards Belle. Ruby was happy as long as Belle was happy and Tristan had been right when he said she and Bae would get along: she was pretty much his aunt in all but name by now. Mulan, Aurora, and Philip accepted him as Belle's choice easily too, particularly when they saw how happy she was with him compared to how unhappy she'd been before. The Nolans took to Belle instantly too: she and Mary Margaret began having lunch dates and David and Emma liked her a lot as well.

After a lunch to celebrate Belle's new job and her moving to Storybrooke, Emma quietly told Bae that he was right: Belle was sweet and beautiful.

Bae smiled at her. 'So are you, Em,' he said.

Emma blushed and looked away, but she smiled a little. Her mother saw it all and shared a look with Belle, who had seen the interaction too.

'I don't think we'll be telling her father about that,' Mary Margaret said softly.

Belle smiled and shook her head. 'Our secret,' she said conspiratorially.

'I can't believe my little swan's growing up,' Mary Margaret cooed, suddenly emotional.

'Did someone mention the words love and story?' David asked jokingly, seeing his wife on the verge of tears.

Mary Margaret swatted him on the arm, but he pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She smiled and snuggled against him.

Tristan laughed and hugged Belle, and she smiled up at him.

Once Belle was settled in Storybrooke, her relationship with Tristan moved forward quickly. They married in August, just six months after they met, and by Christmas, Belle was expecting their first child: that had been the best Christmas present the family could wish for.

Bae was delighted to be getting a little brother or sister, and he loved Belle as if she were his mother: to him, she _was_ his mother, and Belle thought of him as her son. Tristan, of course, was happier than he'd ever been with his boy, his Belle, and a new baby on the way.

Things had changed a lot for him with regard to work too. He left the law firm because he realised that the work had never truly made him happy. He took a long break before and after the wedding just to be with Belle and his son, and then he found premises in Storybrooke and opened an antique shop, deciding to put his knowledge and love of antiques to good use. The shop was doing fairly well now and he felt more fulfilled than he had in a very long time. As long as he had his family, his friends, and his business, he would never want for more.

Belle's body went rigid as he held her and he looked down at her.

'Contraction?'

She breathed through the pain. 'Mhm.'

He kissed her forehead. 'Then let's see about getting to the hospital.'

0

Bae dressed quickly when his papa woke him and told him that the baby was coming. He was excited: he was going to be a big brother. Even though he was fifteen now, he still loved the thought that he was going to have a sibling. He didn't even know whether the baby was a boy or a girl because his parents wanted to be surprised, but he'd told his mama that he thought it was going to be a girl.

She smiled when he said that and asked him how he knew.

'Just a hunch,' he said, 'and I bet she looks just like you.'

'Your papa says the same thing,' she told him and he grinned.

'I love you, Mama,' he said, and hugged her.

She hugged him back. 'I love you too, darling,' she told him, her voice full of love and sincerity. He held her tighter and she stroked his hair.

Milah had never called him that or held him like this. She'd never been affectionate with him. He preferred not to think about her, though: she'd left him. Belle was his mama now, and she was the best mama he could hope for. Everything was better now that she was here.

0

Moe smiled at his son-in-law when he woke him to tell him the baby was on its way. He clapped Tristan on the shoulder genially.

'You've made her very happy,' he said: 'I just wanted to say thank you.'

Tristan smiled. 'Well, she's done the same for me,' he said softly, and Moe nodded, knowing that he meant it.

'Won't be long now, Grandpa,' Tristan said, with another smile.

Moe felt his eyes light up at the title.

0

Ruby hovered in the doorway to Belle and Tristan's room, watching her friend anxiously as she finished dressing.

Belle saw her face and smiled. 'You're worse than Tristan and Bae,' she told her.

'I can't help it,' Ruby told her, 'my best friend's having a baby: this is a big deal.'

'Women have babies every minute of every day,' Belle said, 'and have done since the dawn of man: everything's fine, so stop looking so worried.'

Ruby tried to relax and managed to smile at her friend. 'Sorry.'

Belle smiled at her. 'You're forgiven, Auntie Ruby.'

Ruby grinned.

'Ready to go?' Tristan asked, coming in behind Ruby.

'All set,' Belle called, coming to meet him. 'Did you call the Nolans?'

'I did: they'll meet us at the hospital.'

She nodded and smiled. 'Then let's go meet our little one,' she said.

0

Belle had been in labour for nearly six hours and Tristan could see that she was exhausted. Seeing the pain of a contraction on her beautiful face made his heart clench and he wished that he could take some of the burden from her.

Belle reached up and stroked her husband's cheek. She smiled, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

'Almost there,' she told him: 'won't be long now.'

'I love you so much,' he breathed.

'I love you too,' she murmured.

A moment later, another contraction hit and the midwife told Belle to push. Not long after that, Belle and Tristan heard their child's first cry and they held each other, both crying happy tears.

0

Bae hadn't thought it would take this long.

'Sometimes it can take several hours,' Mrs Nolan told him.

'How long did I take, Mom?' Emma wondered.

'About six hours,' her mother said.

'How long did Belle take?' Mr Nolan asked Moe.

The florist smiled. 'Belle was a quick delivery: only took about three hours. She was a very accommodating baby in general: never gave us any trouble.'

Mr Nolan smiled. 'Opposite of me, then: Mom was in labour for ten hours with me.'

'Your poor mother,' Ruby commented.

'It's not gonna take another four hours, is it?' Bae asked, eyes wide.

Mrs Nolan smiled at him. 'I'm sure everything's fine, Bae: it just takes as long as it takes.'

Bae tried to relax, but every noise had him looking up. It was just as well, then, that his father appeared a short time later.

'Papa!' he called, going to meet him: 'is the baby here? Is Mama ok?'

His father smiled at him. 'Yes and yes,' he said. 'Come with me, son, there's someone who'd like to meet you.'

Bae smiled and followed his father down the hall and into a room. There on the bed was his mother, holding a tiny bundle wrapped in a pink blanket: his baby sister.

He grinned. 'I knew it would be a girl.' He moved closer. 'She's so tiny.'

Belle smiled up at him. 'Would you like to hold her?'

Bae was nervous, but he nodded.

Belle transferred the precious bundle into his arms. 'Support her head: that's it. See, you're a natural.'

He smiled down at his sister. 'What's her name?' he asked.

'Ellie, after Belle's mum,' his father said.

Bae nodded, staring at the baby in his arms. 'Hey, Ellie, I'm your big brother, Bae. I've been waiting to meet you. You've got the best mama and papa, you know, and I'm gonna be the best big brother. If you ever need anything, you just tell me ok.'

The little girl opened her eyes at that moment and Bae nearly gasped at the sight of his sister's big blue eyes.

Tristan went and joined his son, and they both looked down at Ellie.

'Looks just like her mama, doesn't she?' he asked Bae.

His son nodded. 'I knew she would.'

Belle leaned back against the pillows and smiled contentedly at her family.

0

Later that day, after everyone had met Ellie and cried and cooed over her, and after Belle and Moe had cried together as they remembered Belle's mother, Belle was able to get some much-needed rest.

She was just cuddling with Ellie when Tristan came in after taking Bae to get some dinner and dropping him off at the Nolans' for the night.

'Hey,' she called: 'I was just telling Ellie you'd be back any minute.'

'Hey,' he greeted, smiling: 'how are you both?'

'Well, Ellie's just had a feed, so she's pretty sleepy, and I'm just so happy.' She smiled.

He came and kissed her. 'So am I: I love you so much, both of you.'

'We love you too, don't we, Ellie?'

The baby made a soft gurgling sound that made her father smile.

'Just as smart and beautiful as her mother,' he observed, stroking her soft cheek: 'I knew she would be.' He smiled at Belle. 'Thank you, sweetheart.'

'Thank you too,' she returned, and kissed him. 'Come on, come and have a cuddle,' she said then, and moved over on the bed.

Tristan climbed up beside them and put his arms around his wife and daughter. He smiled at Belle's contented sigh and kissed the top of her head as she leaned against him. She smiled up at him and he marvelled once more at the love in her eyes. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve it, but he was so thankful for it.

Belle snuggled into her husband's arms, tired and content. It had been a long day, but a happy one, and she knew that as long as she and Tristan were together, she would continue to feel this wonderful happiness.

Her smile widened as she heard and felt her husband's deep, even breaths. She guessed that he'd fallen asleep, so she let her own eyes close and she soon joined her husband and daughter in a peaceful slumber.

**The End**

And there we have it. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you again so much for reading. I've enjoyed writing this very much and it's been lovely to share it with all of you. I can't get over the lovely comments I've gotten, so thank you again.

I've got several more stories in the pipeline, all in various stages of being written and edited. Next up will be a one-shot that's a crossover between _Once_ and _Harry Potter_. It's also a RumBelle story, set shortly after the events of "Skin Deep". I should get that posted within the next week or so.

Thanks again for reading this!


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